Devolution

“Britain is an invented nation, not so much older than the United States,” Peter Scott has written. Historian Linda Colley argues that a distinctive “British” nationality, encompassing English and Scots, developed between the Act of Union of England and Scotland in 1707 and the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. In Britain, so often invoked as the foil to America most of the things that are thought of as British do not antedate Queen Victoria: royal ceremony, Dickensian Christmas imagery, the imagery of Empire and Burns Night. America, like its British parent is made up of states that interact as a Federal government.

Restoring U.S. state rights, like those restored to the Scottish, Welsh and Irish governing bodies and political institutions will allow the United States, like Britain, through Interlocalism, to continue its form of nationhood with few political cosmetic changes. In turn, the locals in both America and England can continue to interact with their fellow overseas compatriots in the 21st century as they have for the last several hundred years. The several million Scots in Scotland Interlocalize with the 25 million plus overseas Scots and the Irish and Welsh do the same with their families, mates and business associates throughout the former colonies, no different than global Americans.

The people of Scotland voted three to one in favor of establishing their own parliament – a – three hundred year-old dream. The vote for devolution spelt the end of the “era of big centralized government” declared Tony Blair. The parliament in Edinburgh is up and running. The London Parliament retains control over Scotland’s defense, foreign and financial affairs and employment and welfare. In the New World Order Interlocalism allows the Scots to have the best of all worlds. The English haven’t had a parliament in which neither Scotland nor Wales was represented since the Middle Ages.

The same holds true for Spain. Catalan, Basque, and all other Spanish provinces can interact with each other while retaining certain local controls in their community and region. Spain’s Basque region, from northern Spain and southwestern France, like Britain’s Scotland, Ireland and Wales, is itching for self determination. The political arm of ETA the Basque separatist party, which is similar to the political arm of the IRA, is calling for a referendum and a pact with Spain and France. Spain, like Britain, has gone from being a global colonizing empire in the last millennium to disintegrating as a country that can only stay as one with Interlocalism.

Separatism is also on the march in Italy. The Northern Italians debate the merits of independence. The opponents to independence argue that greater rights for regional government and reform of the bloated Rome bureaucracies are the solution. “Federal reform, not separatism, is the best response to frustration with high taxes, government bureaucracy and inefficiency.” There is discontent with Rome but Northern Italians, like their global counterparts, rather selfishly want to unburden themselves of the subsidized rural South. Sound familiar?

Local governments must again become responsible for everything except defense, foreign and financial affairs. Everything else goes back to the States, provinces and other local political units to distribute the responsibilities among themselves on a local basis.

Both Hamilton and Jefferson wanted a limited government. A limited Federal government with power vested in the States. Why have We The Apathetic People allowed career politicians to hijack local powers to Washington D.C.? Isn’t it time We The Maids swept them back home?